Stress is something that everyone feels, regardless of who you are. It is a natural part of being human.

The unfortunate part is that if you let your stress get out of hand and let it dominate your life, you’re likely to suffer from a slew of negative health effects, like high blood pressure, and more serious conditions like depression, anxiety disorder, and substance abuse.

Don’t let your stress lead you down a destructive path. Use these five tips from the mentally strong to overcome your stress:

Acknowledge that stressful things will always happen

Even the best laid plans of mice and men often go askew, as Robert Burns would say. Meaning, you can plan all you want, but at the end of the day, sometimes life throws you a curveball the likes of which you’ve never seen. Know that you can handle anything that comes your way; see stressful situations as opportunities to overcome adversity.

Stress management tools are your friend

Research from the Journal of Occupational Medicine focused on workplace stress management programs found that goal setting, problem solving, identifying and questioning negative thoughts, relaxation and time management were all effective ways of helping people reduce or handle their stress.

Positive Affirmation

How your inner dialogue speaks during times of duress can be your bane or your savior. Focus on positive self-affirmations that remind you just how capable you are of overcoming stressful circumstances. Use phrases like “I’ve been through worse before, I can handle this just like I did last time,” to fill your mind with positivity.

Time Management

Stress is manifested purely in our minds, and much of this stress comes from the perception that we do not have enough time to finish what we need to finish. Effective time management can greatly reduce stress levels. Plan ahead to accommodate for lost time to ensure you’re never caught in a stressful situation.

Find joy during troubling times

Laughter is infectious and when it dominates the mind, we’re capable of a great number of feats.For example, running ten miles with my friend is much easier than running it by myself, simply because we laugh and chat the whole time. The same goes for when you mess up or overreact. If you can laugh it off, you’re one step closer to shifting from a negative mindset to a positive one.

Credits: Higher Perspective.